The LIST

So this is my first blog. I can't promise to be prolific or even eloquent, but I hope to get you thinking and start some good conversations. I've been trying to decide what momentous thing it should be about -- like it's my masterpiece or something -- and I've come up with something just about as mundane as you can get: lists.


Lists are popular, in general. We make grocery shopping lists, birthday wish lists, to do lists. Billboard has a list, so does the New York Times for bestsellers. Children make lists for Santa Claus. We make lists of gifts we will buy. This time of year lists are particularly prevalent: the end of year lists. There are the top ten or twenty films of the year lists, top selling cds lists, top downloads list, most watched Youtube lists, Barbara Walters Most Intriguing people list, etc. Magazines have lists as special cover stories -- EW loves the list. Forbes has their list. You get it by now, I'm sure. Sorry. I do have a tendency to belabor the point, at times.


So I was thinking about the list of qualities that I'd like to find in a partner. Once, on a computer dating web site, I wrote the profile of who I am and the man for whom I was looking in the form of lists. But in some ways, my brain is not wired for the list. I will always debate the soundness of the criteria for said list and what the cutoff should actually be. I will always want to be sure to include some kind of disclaimer like "Warning: this is how I feel today at 2pm (EST)." It's not at all that I am wishy-washy or influenced by popular opinion. It's sort of like how when new evidence is introduced to shed new light on an old case warrants bringing someone back to trial. My experience -- reading, watching television, seeing movies, hearing music, having conversations, just the passage of time -- is the new evidence that lets me revisit something I previously hated or loved. Timelessness also is a factor. Does it withstand time??


So here goes my first list:
Hottest Ten 'Celebrity' Men*
10. Vlad Guerrero
9. Billy Crudup (from Almost Famous only)
8. Lenny Kravitz
7. Colin Farrell
6. Jeffrey Dean Morgan
5. George Clooney
4. Johnny Depp
3. Ben Affleck
2. Mark Ruffalo
1. John Krasinski

*It's 12-22-07 11:21 am EST. Remember, the list can change if new evidence is brought to light, such as a wildly-sexy-sex-video or drunkenly-eating-a-hamburger-on-a-hotel-floor-video on the inernet. With that said, the list of qualities that make someone hot:

• He must be SMART. Now I don't mean book smart only, although that could be the case. He could be street smart, a smart dresser, or a smartass, but there has to be that edge.
• He must be SEXY. A few friends and I had a conversation last summer about what makes a person sexy, and we couldn't come to a consensus. There's the obvious attraction to certain body parts that is just not universal. Beyond the physical attraction there are qualities I find sexy. Someone with a sense of humor is sexy. Intelligence is sexy (I know I already said smart, but can I help it if the quality double-dips?). Passion for ideas and ideals is sexy. Charm is sexy. A nice butt is sexy. And some people ooze sex appeal and others, who could have a technically hot body, could be about as sexy as dry wall. It's hard to account for that It factor.
• He must have a SENSE OF HUMOR. Again, I know I already said that can be sexy, but it is a quality all its own. Nothing is worse than someone who doesn't get jokes. Also, I like someone who can make me laugh. Not corny, not punny (although I have been known to chuckle at these, being the geek that I am). Sarcasm is good. Raunchy is good. Mean-spirited is okay, as long as its directed at the right person, like GWB or Cheney or ARod or Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
• He must be willing to be SPONTANEOUS. That probably sounds like an oxymoron. But occasional spontaneity is necessary for keeping things alive and exciting. It's not like constant spontaneity, which can seem impulsive and seem to show a lack of commitment.
• He must be SOCIAL (I committed to using words that only start with 'S' at about Sense of Humor, but I'm about to break it with the next one). I can be a loner, at times, so I love being around someone who can briing that out in me.
• He must like to PLAY GAMES. I love all sorts of games -- board games, trivia, video games, arcade games, card games, backgammon, etc.

I've just realized that this is super long for a first post; so, because of that, and since my family is about to arrive, I'll sign off for now.

Peace.